I own a photography studio and often rent it out to other photographers who don’t have their own location. It’s a nice added source of income for when I’m not actively using it.

At the studio, I have a selection of nice dresses and costume pieces that are for use by my personal clients only; renters can’t use them. One day, a renter has a session for a little girl, about six or seven years old. After they’re done and the photographer is settling up with the mom, the little girl comes up to the front area where I’m currently working with a client of my own and just starts talking to me without regard to the fact that I’m talking to someone else.

Girl: “You know how you work here?”

Me: “Yes.”

Girl: “You know how you own the place?”

Me: “Yes.”

Girl: “You know how you have all those dresses in back?”

Me: “Yes.”

Girl: “You want to give me some of them for free!”

Me: “No.”

Now she scrunched her face all up, wrinkling her nose and squinting her eyes with a big frown and in the most whiney, drawn-out voice possible. 

Girl: “PPPWWWWEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!”

Me: “Sad face doesn’t work on me. Still no.”

The look of utter shock turned into a boiling mad glare as she stomped back into the studio area to tell her mom they were leaving NOW! 

My client and I looked at each other and just started laughing. The girl stormed out with the mom behind her, looking embarrassed and avoiding eye contact.

The renter came in and apologized over and over again. It seems the girl kept demanding to wear them (even though they are all adult-sized) and didn’t like being told the owner doesn’t allow it. The renter knows I won’t let them use the studio again if any rules are broken, so they follow them to the letter. The mom was trying to appease the girl with bribes, but that wasn’t working. So, she tried to be self-entitled with me instead, only to find out I never play that game.

I’d feel sorry for the parents but they created the little monster.

Related:
Some People Have Never Been Told “No” And It Shows, Part 16
Some People Have Never Been Told “No” And It Shows, Part 15
Some People Have Never Been Told “No” And It Shows, Part 14
Some People Have Never Been Told “No” And It Shows, Part 13
Some People Have Never Been Told “No” And It Shows, Part 12

I was doing a photoshoot for a client who attended the filming. Part of the set dressing was a bowl of fruit with oranges, bananas, grapes, and peaches that looked like a still life painting to evoke a full kitchen. He insisted we fill the bowl with lettuce with a few whole lemons on top because he “liked the color”.

We told him that was sort of a weird thing to have in a kitchen. He was adamant.

We delivered the video today.

Client: “It looks good, but what’s with that bowl of lemons? It doesn’t look right at all.”

I’m really not sure how to respond.

My brother and his fiancée were getting ready for their wedding and were checking out wedding photographers. They were interviewing one of the candidates.

Photographer: “…and quality photography is such a crucial part of your wedding. Because really, when your big day is over, what else do you have left of it?”

[Brother] and [Fiancée] paused and looked at each other for a moment.

Brother: “…the marriage.“

They picked a different photographer.

Client: “What camera will we be using?”

Me: “I’ll be using my XHA1S.”

Client: “I have no idea what that means.”

Me: “So why did you ask?”

Client: “Are you using the big one or the little one?”

We run a photography studio that caters to corporate clients: headshots, products, etc. When the studio is not in use, we also rent it out to other photographers. The distinction between these two sides of the business is made very clear on our website.

My assistant gets a call from someone looking for pricing for studio rental; he also asks about our availability for later this week. I’m with a client, so my assistant tells him the price. He says he’ll come by the studio that afternoon to see the studio for himself. He doesn’t show up, call, or make any contact beyond this call.

A few days later, it’s my day off, and my assistant calls me to say someone has shown up with a full thirty-person sports team looking for a shoot immediately. It’s the caller from the other day. He then proceeds to:

• Complain to my assistant that he made a booking. (He didn’t. We require payment in advance, and this was made clear to him on the phone.)
• Tell me over the phone that he spoke to me before to confirm it. (He didn’t. I’m a different gender from my assistant, so it’s hard to get us mixed up.)
• Complain when he is told that the studio hire rate doesn’t include a photographer. (Again, this was made clear to him when he called.)
• Fail to understand why he had to make a booking in the first place, insisting, “If the studio is available, you should be, too.”

My poor assistant was berated by the client for being unwilling to take on a job they weren’t qualified for.

In the end, I charged him my fee plus overtime for my day off and came in to do the shoot. His brief was, “Take photos.” When I started taking photos, he complained that they were the wrong photos. When I asked him specifically what he wanted, he said, “Something different.”

We went through five sets of “something different” before we found what he wanted. He then left his clients with my assistant as he had “urgent business to attend to”. What he failed to mention was that his clients were a visiting team from overseas, and we didn’t speak the same language.

What followed was five hours of mime work trying to explain poses and concepts. Luckily, the team was game for a laugh.